Cardboard Support Insert for a Lawn and Garden Refuse Bag

ABSTRACT

A flat rectangular, reusable piece of cardboard having dimensions of (32″×36″×¼″) with two (2) vertical perforations, and two (2) stamped out areas for hand holds. This flat, rectangular, reusable piece of cardboard may be shaped to fit the inner dimensions of a standard (34″×16″×12″) lawn and garden refuse bag for the purpose of providing said lawn and garden refuse bag with sufficient support to hold it in the fully open and usable position, preventing lawn and garden refuse bag from collapsing during use.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a reusable cardboard insert that will support the structure and use of a standard size (34″×16″×12″) lawn and garden refuse bag. More particularly the invention relates to the ability to shape the cardboard insert to the fit the inner dimensions of the lawn and garden refuse bag to facilitate keeping the lawn and garden refuse bag fully open and accessible to the user while it is yet without sufficient refuse inside of it to keep the lawn and garden refuse bag from collapsing. Claimant makes no claim to lawn and garden refuse bag(s) that are currently and commonly in use in commerce as of this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention will be described with reference to its ability to be folded along perforated lines that have the dimensions that are shown on the renderings provided.

It is desirable for persons gathering lawn and garden refuse to be able to collect said refuse in a lawn and garden refuse bag(s) without said lawn and garden refuse bag(s) collapsing from an open usable position to a closed, unusable position allowing a portion of the gathered refuse to fall outside the internal collection area of the lawn and garden refuse bag's potential storage area. What is needed is a structurally stabilizing insert to hold the lawn and garden refuse bag in the full and open position allowing greatest access to the internal storage area.

Although cardboard is used for many purposes in our everyday lives, there is (are) no specific use(s) of cardboard for the purpose of rendering lawn and garden refuse bags fully open, accessible and usable in the initial stages of its storage use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides for a flat rectangular piece of cardboard with overall dimensions of 36″×32″×¼″ to be stamped and perforated according to the drawings provided. The invention is made of:

69 pound weighted corrugated cardboard; although other weights and type of cardboard and other materials may be used.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a front view of the flat rectangular piece of cardboard A, including its dimensions according to a first embodiment of the present invention in the fully open/flat position.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the flat rectangular piece of cardboard A including dimensions in the fully open/flat position.

FIG. 3 is the front view of the rectangular piece of cardboard A with the left leaf folded inward. The invention is no longer flat as a portion o the invention has been folded on itself. This figure demonstrates the ability to shape the invention as needed.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the rectangular piece of cardboard A with the left leaf folded inward.

FIG. 5 is the front view of the rectangular piece of cardboard A with both the left leaf and the right leaf folded inward. This further demonstrates its capability to be shaped.

FIG. 6 is the top view of the rectangular piece of cardboard A with both leafs folded inward.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the rectangular piece of cardboard A in the fully deployed position so it may act as a structurally stable insert for the lawn and garden refuse bag that it will serve. Please note the left and right leafs are at 90 degrees to the main body of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a top view of the rectangular piece of cardboard A in the fully deployed position so it may act as a structurally stable insert for the lawn and garden refuse bag that it will serve.

FIG. 9 is a top view of the rectangular piece of cardboard A in the fully deployed position inserted into a standard 34″×16″×12″ lawn and garden refuse bag.

**Please note that item # 9 on FIG. 9 demonstrates the borders of the lawn and garden refuse bag.**

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides for a flat, rectangular reusable piece of cardboard A (a.k.a. insert or the insert) to be shaped to fit the inner dimensions of a standard 34″×16″×12″ lawn and garden refuse bag.

A piece of cardboard may be cut, sized, perforated, stamped and molded for many different, useful purposes. The purpose of this invention is to be cut, sized, perforated and stamped for the purpose of folding it—thus giving it the ability to be shaped—to fit the interior dimensions of a standard 34″×16″×12″ lawn and garden refuse bag. The purpose of this invention is to give structural support to the lawn and garden refuse bag while the lawn and garden refuse bag is being used and utilized in the collection and accumulation of refuse.

The insert A is made of 69 pound weight corrugated cardboard (although cardboard of other weight and material may also be substituted.) The dimensions of the insert A—in the fully open/flat position is 36″ along the top horizontal edge 3 and 36″ along the bottom horizontal edge 4. Furthermore it is 32″ along the left outer vertical edge 1 and 32″ along the right outer vertical edge 2. The insert is ¼″ thick uniformly throughout.

The insert A contains two (2) perforations 5 and 6 to its rear outer layer allowing for bending, molding and shaping of the insert A to fit the interior dimensions of a standard 34″×16″×12″ lawn and garden refuse bag. The perforations 5 and 6 are both 32″ perforated runs in overall length vertically from the top horizontal edge 3 to the bottom horizontal edge 4 and occur exactly 10.5″ from the entire run of the left outer vertical edge 1 toward the entire run of the vertical midline of the insert A and exactly 10.5′ from the entire run of the right outer vertical edge 2 toward the entire run of the vertical midline of the insert A. The perforations 5 and 6 are parallel to the left outer vertical edge 1 of the insert A and they are parallel to the right outer vertical edge 2 of the insert A and run the entire height (32″) of the insert A. These perforations 5 and 6 segment the insert into 3 distinct regions or areas of the insert A. These regions or areas are referred to on the drawing page as the left leaf B, the right leaf C and the main body D. The area of the insert A from the left outer vertical edge 1 to the left perforation 5 is known as the left leaf B. The size of the area of the left leaf B measures 10.5″×32″. The area of the insert A from the right outer vertical edge 2 to the right perforation 6 is known as the right leaf C. The size of the area of the right leaf C measures 10.5″×32″. The area from the left perforation 5 to the right perforation 6 is known as the main body D. The size of the area of the main body D measures 15″×32″.

The perforations 5 and 6 do not cut through the insert A completely, rather they score the rear outer layer of the corrugated cardboard thereby allowing bending, molding and shaping of the insert A rather than causing detachment of the two areas known as the left leaf B and right leaf C from the main body D of the insert A.

As best shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 6 and FIG. 8 the insert A may be bent, molded or shaped in a variety of ways. As depicted in FIG. 9, the insert A is fully deployed and is bent, molded and shaped in its intended use position for the purpose of providing stability and structure to the lawn and garden refuse bag as it is being inserted into the interior dimensions of the lawn and garden refuse bag. FIG. 6 best illustrates the insert A fully folded and is best positioned to be initially inserted into the inner dimensions of the lawn and garden refuse bag prior to the full deployment of the insert A for which its purpose is intended.

The insert A has two (2) stamped out areas 7 and 8. The stamped out areas 7 and 8 are portions of the corrugated cardboard insert A that have been fully cut through both front and rear outer layers of the insert A and removed from the overall area of the insert A. The cardboard that has been removed is no longer a part of the insert A or the invention. The purpose of the stamped out areas 7 and 8 are to serve as hand holds for the ease of moving, folding, carrying, removing or in general handling the insert A whether during use or in storing the insert A away for storage. The stamped out areas 7 and 8 are located on both the left leaf B and the right leaf C (one (1) stamped out area per leaf B and C.) The positioning of the stamped out areas 7 and 8 are as follows:

The left leaf B stamped out area 7 has the overall dimension of 2″×5.5″. The left leaf B stamped out area 7 has two (2) horizontal borders that allow the cardboard cutout. The superior horizontal border of the stamped out area 7 of the left leaf B is 3″ inferior of the top horizontal edge 3 as well as 29″ superior of the bottom horizontal edge 4. The inferior horizontal border of the stamped out area 7 of the left leaf B is 5″ inferior to the top horizontal edge 3 as well as 27″ superior to the bottom horizontal edge 4. The left leaf B stamped out area 7 has two (2) vertical borders that allow the cardboard cutout of the stamped out area 7. The left vertical border of the stamped out area 7 of the left leaf B is 2.5″ medial to the left outer vertical edge 1 as well as 8″ lateral of the left perforation 5. The right vertical border of the stamped out area 7 of the left leaf B is 2.5″ lateral to the left perforation 5 as well as 8″ medial to the left outer vertical edge 1.

The right leaf C stamped out area 8 has the overall dimension of 2″×5.5″. The right leaf B stamped out area 8 has two (2) horizontal borders that allow the cardboard cutout. The superior horizontal border of the stamped area 8 of the right leaf C is 3″ inferior of the top horizontal edge 3 as well as 29″ superior of the bottom horizontal edge 4. The inferior horizontal border of the stamped out area 8 of the right leaf C is 5″ inferior to the top horizontal edge 3 as well as 27″ superior to the bottom horizontal edge 4. The right leaf C stamped out area 8 has two (2) vertical borders that allow the cardboard cutout. The right vertical border of the stamped out area 8 of the right leaf C is 2.5″ medial to the right outer vertical edge 2 as well as 8″ lateral of the right perforation 6. The left vertical border of the stamped out area 8 of the right leaf C is 2.5″ lateral to the right perforation 6 as well as 8″ medial to the right outer vertical edge 2. 

1. A piece of corrugated cardboard, having: An overall dimension of 36″×32″×¼″; been configured with two (2) 32″ long vertical perforations made to the rear outer layer only, running both parallel to and equi-distant from the vertical midline; been altered to have two (2) stamped out areas to the cardboard, each measuring 2″×5.5″ in measurement, both equi-distant from the vertical midline.
 2. The cardboard recited in claim 1 has the ability to molded, bent or shaped.
 3. The cardboard recited in claim 2 has the ability to be molded, bent or shaped to fit the interior dimensions of a standard 34″×16″×12″ lawn and garden refuse bag.
 4. The cardboard recited in claim 3 has sufficient strength to support the standard lawn and garden refuse bag while maintaining the lawn and garden refuse bag in the fully open and useable position.
 5. The cardboard in claim 1 has the ability to allow the user to grasp the cardboard in, around and about the stamped out areas of the cardboard.
 6. The cardboard in claim 5 has the ability to allow the user to use the hand hold cardboard cut-outs to lift the cardboard out of, and lower the cardboard into, the standard lawn and garden refuse bag. 